'At the moment my thoughts are with those who have stood by the club during the tough times and I hope that now they are as delighted as I am to see all their hard work come to fruition.

'I would also like to give my heartfelt thanks to the fans who have stood by us through thick and thin. This season, in particular, they have been magnificent and have given us fantastic support home and away.

'Our coach, Neil Kelly, has also performed miracles this season to win us promotion and I would like to thank all our sponsors and Halton Borough Council who have given us so much help.

'But now the hard work has to begin again. Between now and the start of the new season we must all work with Neil to make sure that we have a team capable of performing with distinction in the Super League. We do not want to end up in a situation where we are yo-yoing between the Super League and the Northern Ford Premiership.

'To that end, we are also appealing for any major sponsors who would like to be part of our success story to come forward. Our promotion is not just about the club it is also about raising the profile of Widnes.'

Halton Borough Council leader Tony McDermott added: 'I am absolutely delighted. It marks the end of seven years of bitterness and struggle for the club. The Vikings are back on the big stage where they belong and that is good news for them and for the borough as a whole. It is fantastic news.'

Widnes won their place in the Super League as winners of the Northern Ford Premiership Grand Final.

But their election to the top flight was not automatic and had to be decided by an independent franchise panel at Leeds on Tuesday when the Vikings became the first club to go up since Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in 1998.

Super League chairman Chris Caisley said: 'It's great to have Widnes back in the top flight and I'm sure that they will kick on to further success from here. They are an enterprising club and should prove an inspiration to others with Super League ambitions.

Rugby League chief Sir Rodney Walker added: 'There has been a clear indication that the sport and the fans alike felt promotion to the Super League was a vital ingredient and Widnes Vikings proved to the panel's satisfaction that they have all the right qualifications to earn that opportunity.'